United States Agency for International Development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the United States government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.

USAID was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to unite several existing foreign assistance organizations and programs under one agency. Statute law places USAID under "the direct authority and policy guidance of the Secretary of State". It implements programs in global health, disaster relief, socioeconomic development, environmental protection, democratic governance and education. With average annual disbursements of about $23 billion since 2001, USAID is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world and accounts for more than half of all U.S. foreign assistancethe highest in the world in absolute dollar terms. USAID has missions in over 100 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

In 2025, the second Trump administration announced sweeping changes to USAID. President Donald Trump ordered a near-total freeze on all foreign aid. Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, announced the intention of shutting down USAID. ''The New York Times'' reported that nearly all USAID employees had been laid off. A lawsuit was then filed by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, requesting a preliminary injunction against the administration and that all recent actions related to its attempted disbandment be reversed, due to "unconstitutional and illegal" actions. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols issued a temporary restraining order on February 7, pausing the plan to put USAID employees on leave and the accelerated removal of people from their posts abroad. These employees are still locked out and unable to return to their jobs as of February 9. Provided by Wikipedia